In recent years, bee products have been very popular as pure natural health products, and more and more people have been attracted to join the beekeeping industry. So what should a first-time beekeeper do to prepare?
One-The selection of beekeeping sites
- 1. Powder source plants are abundant. Within a radius of 2.5 kilometers from the apiary, there should be 1-2 main nectar sources with relatively stable production and auxiliary nectar sources with alternate flowering, non-toxic nectar sources and honeydew nectar sources throughout the year.
- 2. The environment is suitable. There must be suitable temperature, light and humidity, and avoid choosing in tuyere, pond, and low-lying places.
- 3. The water source is sufficient, the water quality is good, and the surrounding environment is quiet.
- 4. Convenient transportation.
Two- the selection of bee colonies
The best time to buy bee colonies is in early spring, when the temperature is rising and tending to be stable. It can also be purchased in summer and autumn, but it must be ensured that there is at least one main nectar source that year, so that even if a lot of commercial honey cannot be obtained, it can ensure the reserve of feed needed by the bee colony to survive the winter. It is worth noting that it is not advisable to buy bees after the end of the annual nectar source. At this time, in addition to the purchase cost, you must buy sugar to feed the bees, and the bee colony may die during the winter.
Selection of bee species: Chinese honey bee: It is a species of eastern honey bee. The individual is smaller than that of the western bee, the snout is shorter, and there are two kinds of black and yellow. Chinese bees have strong resistance to stress and mites, white wax, sensitive smell, fast flight, good at avoiding enemies and using sporadic nectar sources, but strong robbery, poor orientation, unable to maintain large groups, and more irritable temperament ;
Western honeybees: At present, the Western honeybees raised in my country can be roughly divided into two types: yellow strains and black strains. The yellow strains represented by Italian honeybees reproduce quickly, collect high nectar and excrete a large amount of pulp, but consume a lot of feed and have a high mortality rate in cold regions. The black strains represented by the Northeast Black Bee, Korpathian Bee, and Kani Alan Bee are poor in reproduction and pulp secretion, but have strong collection power, save feed, strong cold resistance, and low winter mortality. It is superior to the yellow varieties in terms of nectar source and disease resistance.
Three-Purchase of beehives and bee kits
- 1. beehive. At present, the beehives used in various parts of our country are relatively simple and uniform, and the main styles are ten-frame standard beehives and superimposed beehives.
- 2. Nest foundation. Thin slices made of beeswax, which are the basis for the spleen of the bee colony.
- 3. Top nesting tools, including thread-embedding boards and thread-embedding bee caps, can protect the head and neck of beekeepers from bee stings.
- 4. Smoker: A device that stuns bees by blowing smoke.
- 5. Bee Brush: A tool used to sweep bees and spleen viscera on the spleen.
- 6. Scraper: A tool for opening the auxiliary cover, prying the nest frame and cleaning the bottom of the box.
- 7. Feeder: A device for feeding bees.
- 8. Honey-cutting knife: A tool used to remove the wax cover of the spleen.
- 9. A honey shaker, also called a honey separator, is a tool used to separate the honey in the spleen.
- 10. Queen partition: A grid that restricts the queen bee's movement area in the beehive.
- 11. Equipment for producing royal jelly: including table base, wax stick, insect transfer needle, pulp production box and scraper.
- 12. Bee Pollen Collector: It consists of a powder removing grid and a powder collecting box.
